Philip Impellizzeri | It's time to frame the coal debate in the correct light

8:50 PM,
Jun. 27, 2013

Philip Impellizzeri

Written by

Philip A. Impellizzeri
| Special to The Courier-Journal

President Obama's announcement Tuesday of forthcoming executive orders instructing the Environmental Protection Agency to crack down on carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants is the latest salvo in a battle raging since the president first took office in 2009 when accusations of a "war on coal" by the federal government began to run rampant through Appalachia.

But this conflict has been framed in the wrong light for far too long.

The real issue is not between Kentucky's coal and its beautiful wildlife and waterways, but between state sovereignty over Kentucky's energy sector and ...